


Animal Abuse

by sanrier



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster Falls, Animal Abuse, Animal Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 19:12:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12688476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanrier/pseuds/sanrier
Summary: Dipper fails to get along adequately with Bill's dog. This is a one-off that takes place in a similar but different universe to Deer Teeth.





	Animal Abuse

  
He was woken up abruptly by the familiar sound of Bill's return- the whine of the screen door followed by the heavy slam of fragile, old oak behind it.

"We did good, we did good! Didn't we, Puck?"

Bill was riling up the dog, whose name was evidently Puck, who was boisterously barking and grunting with satisfaction. He looked over at Dipper's cage, placed next to the fireplace against the wall, with a shit-eating smile before continuing to prompt his hell hound to make all the noise in the world.

That dog's only purpose, Bill's only purpose for the bond with that animal was to make the cervitaur as miserable as he could be. Bill made sure the cervitaur knew his place- he was a fixture, a toy, undeserving of any kind of affection from his captor.   
  
The only rest Dipper got nowadays was when his captor would go out hunting and take the dog with him. He wished he could enjoy the time alone, but he had no choice but to use it to rest. Bill allowed the dog free reign of the house at night, but for some reason did not let the dog in his room. The dog would spend most of the night circling Dipper's cage, hoping he'd let a limb close enough to the cage bars to grab on to him. Dipper learned quickly to stay as far away from the cage walls as possible. His first few nights in the cage would end with him drifting off and the mutt managing to grab hold of his leg or his arm, shaking its head about as if it was mangling prey. Dipper would cry out in shock and pain, which seemed to motivate the animal, and a few moments later a sleepy hunter would leisurely make his way out to the room and scold the cervitaur for waking him.

Bill was fed up by the second time it happened and decided the best way get the cervitaur to shut up would be to, instead of ordering the dog to stop, pick up the fireplace poker and repeatedly jab him in the ribs, causing him even more pain than the dog did. The hunter was teaching the dog that this was okay and motivating him to continue.

It took Dipper two nights to train himself not to fall asleep at night. This had happened weeks ago.

  
"You weren't sleeping, were you?" Bill had a constant condescending tone to everything he said to the cervitaur.

"No."

Bill eyed the cervitaur, clicking his tongue as he thought. He reached for a key that was hanging on a nail next to the wrong door, twirling it around on his index finger.

"Lazy, lazy, lazy. I think it's time for some exercise, don't you?" Bill bent down to unlock the cervitaur's cage. Dipper originally hated the cage. He hated it, it was demeaning, unnecessary, uncomfortable. However Dipper realized bit by bit that that's where he was safest. Dipper hated the dog more than he hated the cage, and the cage was where he was safe from the dog now.

Dipper stayed frozen as Bill unlocked his cage. Their eyes met, Bill's full of an ingenuine and untrustable contentedness. His smile was a silent laugh. Dipper shook his head and stayed where he was. The smile faded from Bill's face.

"It'll be fun! Don't you like fun?"

He spoke with happiness in his voice- and they both knew if the hunter decided to change his tone, the dog would act accordingly.

Without taking his eyes off of the cervitaur, he slowly opened the cage door, dramatically ushering him out of it. While he knew leaving the cage meant he would no longer be safe, ultimately he feared what Bill would do to him if he stayed where he was and he wasn't feeling up to being disobedient right now.

Focusing on the front door where the hunter gestured, the cervitaur left his cage and walked to the door at a steady pace, knowing stumbling or acting like he was fleeing would set Bill's dog off and that the chances of Bill stopping the dog were slim.

Bill bent down to take the leash from the dog's collar, walking over to Dipper cheerfully and attaching it to his. He gave it a sharp tug as if to make sure it was on securely, causing the cervitaur a good deal of discomfort, before leading him and the dog out the front door.

  
It was a beautiful day- and admittedly getting out of his cage to move around helped ease his nerves. He did not know where they were going but keeping a level head would make things easier for him when things took a turn for the worse.

Bill's hell dog bounded around as they walked, every so often coming back to sniff at Dipper's legs- this was always followed by the dog taking a bite at him, but to Dipper's surprise, the hunter told the dog to knock it off, so the dog kept its distance and resumed chasing and killing small animals instead.

They'd reached the field that Bill used for target practice- long grass had been trampled down with a tremendous amount of effort, targets dotted on the far side of the field.

"Are you ready?" Bill directed the question cheerfully at the cervitaur.

Dipper's heart sank in his chest. Was he going to be used for target practice? He didn't know what he was supposed to be ready for, but he accepted it wouldn't be good before they even left the house.

"Ready for what?"

"For some exercise, that's all."

Dipper inhaled sharply, silently as he could- he'd learned to stifle gestures of discontent best as he could, as nothing got past the hunter. The hunter analyzed every move he made and every word that came out of his mouth and he couldn't afford to slip up.

There was a pause, apparently the hunter had been expecting a yes or no answer.

"So are you ready?"

"I am."

"Great." Bill dropped the cervitaur's leash to the ground, holding it in place with his foot as he unfastened a bow from the rucksack he'd brought with him. Regardless of where they went or why they left, he brought his gear with him everywhere.

After inspecting the arrows he'd brought carefully, he silently took aim and fired at one of the far targets. The motion of the arrow had caught his dog's attention, and he had momentarily stopped to watch the arrow before continuing running around terrorizing the forest creatures again.

The arrow hit a target dead center. Dipper had to admit he was a good shot- but at the same time this also terrified him. The hunter being a good shot only meant bad things for the cervitaur.

Leisurely, the hunter fired the rest of his arrows, most of which hit the targets dead center. Every so often he'd look to the cervitaur excitedly with a genuine look of satisfaction.

"Well that's that." Bill took a few steps over to the cervitaur and kneeled down in front of him, unhooking the leash from his collar and tossing it to the side.

"Now go get them and bring them back. Run, it'll be good for you."

The cervitaur nodded before running into the field- slowly at first, then picking up speed as he ran. It was oddly enjoyable and freeing given the circumstances. He hadn't had the opportunity to stretch his legs in what must have been months. Once he broke into a sprint, he looked back in the direction he came from to find that Bill's hound was chasing after him at a greater speed than he could achieve. Bill watched with hands on his hips, well out of ear shot but presumably satisfied that Dipper had set himself up to be hunted down. He stumbled as the situation sunk in before looking back ahead and bolting as quickly as possible.

Approaching the end of the field, he could hear the dog was still in pursuit, but the hunter was well out of hearing range and it was apparent that he could not and would not call the dog off. Unsure of what to do to get out of the situation, he did the only thing he could think of- he kept running.

Running clean past the targets, he felt the taller grass immediately take its toll on his mobility and he slowed. If he could lose the dog, perhaps he could make his way to some kind of freedom.

Unfortunately, his hopes were very short lived as the dog caught up to him with relative ease, running beside him for a moment as if to taunt him before latching on to his front leg and shaking wildly, mangling it and stopping Dipper dead in his tracks.

As a human, he was taught to curl into a ball if an animal attacked you, tucking your head in and covering it with your arms. Unfortunately, that ceased to work in his current form.

Eventually his legs gave out from under him and he fell- but this didn't deter the dog from wildly shaking his leg. It was clear the dog didn't intend on killing him as he had no intentions on going for the neck. Going for the neck was instinct for animals, regardless of how intelligent they were.

Being in shock from the event, the cervitaur couldn't bring himself to yell as his vision blurred and the pain finally started to set in. If the dog did not kill him, all he could do was wait for Bill to find and help him.

  
Dipper awoke with a loud ringing in his ears. Struggling to come to his senses, he opened his eyes to find he was on the sofa in front of the fireplace, Bill kneeling on the ground wrapping cloth loosely around one of his injured legs. Bill frowned as he woke, but did not deviate his gaze from the cervitaur's leg and instead continued wrapping it carefully.

"So much for my nice evening out." He said with mild irritation, but not in a tone that worried the cervitaur. There was no hidden evil in the words he spoke, and so his voice was oddly relaxing.

Bill's hound was fast asleep next to the fire. Dipper hated that dog now more than ever. The dog's contented expression in its sleep only made him hate it more. He involuntarily twitched his injured leg, then winced and grit his teeth at the sharp pain that shot through the back half of his body.

"You gotta stay still, kid." Bill paused for a second and looked the cervitaur in the eye blankly before resuming patching up his leg.

It was strange for the hunter to show any concern for the cervitaur's wellbeing. Perhaps the attack wasn't at his command but an honest accident instead. It may be a stretch, but perhaps the hunter felt bad about it happening.

After the hunter was done bandaging up the leg, he got up to his feet, knees cracking in the process.

"That ought to do it, so long as you don't go running around until it heals."

"Thank you". Dipper felt it would be wise for him to show gratitude before the hunter demanded him to. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.

"Think nothing of it. Try not to move for the rest of the night. You can stay on the sofa for now."

The gesture seemed strange to Dipper, but it was welcomed nonetheless. Being in a cramped cage would only make his leg worse before it had a chance to heal. His relief was short lived as he looked over at Bill's hound, sure that it would give him trouble when it woke up.

Sensing his concern, Bill whistled as the dog raised its ears, immediately springing to its feet. Dipper's heart sank and he stirred, fighting the urge to flee, despite there being nowhere to flee to. Bill pointed to the cage and the dog slowly made its way over, gently stepping inside, sniffing around before laying back down and going back to sleep.

"Just for tonight." Bill said as he walked over and shut the cage door.

"Thank you."

Bill stretched as his back cracked audibly. "I think that'll just about do me for tonight. You get some rest too."

"I will. Goodnight."

Bill looked at him with borderline exhaustion before turning off the light and disappearing into his bedroom without another word.

Despite his leg hurting, this was the safest the cervitaur had felt in months. The fire was comforting, the crackling was the only sound he could hear. The hound wasn't going to be a problem tonight. As much as Dipper wanted to stay up and enjoy the circumstances, he was tired and found it hard to keep his eyes open.

He looked over at the hound, just as content sleeping in a cold metal cage as it was sleeping next to the fire. He wondered if most of the resentment he felt for Bill had stemmed from the dog. Bill treated that dog ten times better than he treated Dipper. In Bill's eyes, that dog was more of a human than the cervitaur was.

Maybe things would get better between him and Bill if the dog was no longer part of the equation. Maybe they could even have an amicable relationship with each other. Dipper felt he would make a good companion if given the opportunity. He would have loved to be treated even a fraction of how well that dog was treated.

Fighting the pain from his leg, Dipper carefully sat upright and put his hooves on the ground as quiet as he could be. It proved difficult to balance on only three legs, but he allowed himself a few minutes to readjust to it to make it easier for him.

The pain was apparent but no longer unbearable. Carefully and without taking an eye off of the cage, Dipper made his way around the coffee table next to the fireplace, picking up the metal fire poker and holding it in the fire. He was relieved that the fireplace crackling masked most of his noise and the dog remained asleep.

Dipper held the fireplace poker in the flame for several minutes. He withdrew it to find the end was a glowing orange, probably hot enough to burn or melt anything that came into contact with it.

He took a few deep breaths as he approached the cage, trying to maintain composure so that his hands wouldn't shake. The heat from the end of the metal poker slowly made its way up to the handle, but it was far from hot enough to burn him yet.

With a deep breath, he stuck the end of the poker into the cage and drove it into the dog's ribs. The dog let out a painful, raspy yelp as it awoke and tried to react to the situation. Dipper drew the poker back before driving it into the dog's throat, cutting it short of another long yelp as it fell limp in the cage.

Light smoke accompanied the scent of burning flesh and made Dipper feel sick to his stomach- and as the moments passed and he realized that he had done, the feeling only got worse. He didn't even remember deciding to kill the dog, he didn't remember the process, but he could very clearly see the end result of what he'd just done.

A slow shuffling was soon accompanied by the light turning on, and Dipper turned his head to be greeted by a tired hunter. Not knowing how to react until he saw how the hunter would react, he stayed still, fire poker still in his hand. An adequate amount of heat had now traveled up to the handle and it was becoming painful to hold.

Frowning slightly but looking otherwise unphased, Bill tiredly shuffled over to the case and looked down at the now deceased dog.

"Come on, that was a good dog. He was alright. A little stupid, but alright."

Given the circumstances, Bill sounded generally unmoved by what he was witnessing. Dipper looked up at him as they both stood in front of the cage. He looked mildly irritated, but that was all. The cervitaur remained nearly frozen in fear, afraid that the hunter was about to snap.

"Well what's done is done, what can you do?" Bill let out an exasperated sigh, taking the poker away from Dipper and putting it back on the rack before folding his arms. "You trying to burn your hands now too? Don't do that."

"I'm..." Dipper tripped over his own words trying to form some sort of apology, but it wouldn't come.

"You're sorry? It's alright kiddo, it's instincts. I'd have done the same thing. I'm almost proud of you for sticking up for yourself."

Bill pat his head gently before squatting down and opening the cage door. Dipper took a few steps backward slowly to give him some space, unsure what he was doing. He wasn't ready to see the end result of what he had done to the dog.

"Hey, I thought I told you to stay on the sofa anyway. Go on."

Dipper obediently returned to the sofa, still uneasy about what was happening. He watched as Bill nonchalantly took the collar off of the dog.

"How's your leg?"

"It's okay." Dipper was caught off guard by the question. Bill turned to face him and smiled for a moment before walking over to him, squatting down to inspect his hurt leg briefly once again.

Bill's eyes trailed up from Dipper's leg to his neck and he paused a moment before reaching up and unbuckling Dipper's collar. Unsure of what was going on, the cervitaur instinctively recoiled, trying to get away from the hunter's hands.

"Do you think I'm going to strangle you? Relax."

The cervitaur inhaled sharply and did what he was told to the best of his ability. He stared off to the side, trying not to focus on what Bill was doing. A distinct click was followed by the cervitaur's collar falling to the floor. Having it off reminded him how uncomfortable it was to have on. He'd gotten used to it, but it was tight and made him sweat.

The comfort of having it off was short lived as the hunter gently fastened the dog's collar around his neck- but it was a much looser fit than the previous collar. It could have been pulled tighter, but for some reason Bill purposely kept it loose.

"There we go. That wasn't hard."

Admiring his work, Bill moved back to inspect the collar before making eye contact with the cervitaur cheerfully. While it felt better than his old collar, the gesture left Dipper feeling uneasy and he didn't know how to react.

"Well I won't be without a companion. You're my new dog now. Let's hope you're smarter than the last one."

The past few months had twisted Dipper's humility. The comment resonated positively with him and excited him to an extent as he tried to stifle an excited smile. Bill got up to his feet and looked back at the cage, cringing at the sight of the dead animal. Disappearing for a moment, he returned with a towel that he tossed over the cage.

"Don't feel like dealing with it tonight. Out of sight, out of mind. But seriously, please get come rest." He frowned, rubbing his eyes as he sluggishly walked towards the hallway.

"You're a good boy." He said as he switched the light back off and disappeared down the hallway back into his room.

Satisfied with the turn of events despite them being a little extreme, Dipper yawned and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this a year ago and finished it today. I tweaked it to make the writing consistent but it may change tone part way through because my writing style has changed.
> 
> Sorry for the hiatus- I am a very newbie writer, Deer Teeth was my first writing project ever (no joke) + while I never really planned to abandon it I sort of lost interest for a while, mostly because of the GF tv series ending. Me completing this mini story has helped me get back on track! I plan on updating Deer Teeth(god I have like ten chapter outlines), but I need to re-read it first to get my bearings and I'm horrified to do so because my writing was probably a lot worse than I thought it was <_<
> 
> So yeah, that'll update eventually, but for now have this one-off that has a dog in it + please don't make me feel bad about deer teeth because im very small and very sorry


End file.
